Light actuated detector for shifting shuttle box looms



Dec. 31, 1935. R. s. TURNER 2,025,147

LIGHT ACTUATED DETECTOR FOR SHIFTING SHUTTLE BOX LOOMS Filed April 26, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. I

nuentor Richard (110x new xi- 1176 1 I fitter-0 s Dec. 31, 1935. R, TUR ER 2,026,147

LIGHT ACTUATED DETECTOR FOR SHIFTING SHUTTLE BOX LOOMS Patented Dec. 31, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LIGHT ACTUATED DETECTOR FOR SHIFT- ING SHUTTLE 30X LOOMS Application April 26, 1934, Serial No. 722,550

22 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements inweit detectors for shifting shuttle box looms and it is the general object of the invention to provide a light actuated detecting element on a'loom of the type specified which is actuated or energized by a change in illumination of the detector when the supply of weft becomes substantially depleted.

In my co-pending application Serial No. 720,7 39 I have set forth and claimed in broad terms a weft detector actuated or energized by a beam of light and shown in connection with looms for changing shuttle, changing bobbin, and stopping upon exhaustion of weft. As shown in that application the Weft detector is mounted in front of 5; the lay and is controlled in part by lay motion. It is an important object of my present invention to adaptthis general type of Weft detector to the shifting shuttle box end of a loom and to provide for its control so that the detecting operation will take place in connection only with the shuttle to be detected.

In so-calied pick and pick looms a set of shifting shuttle boxes is provided at each end of the lay to operate with several shuttles any one of which 25". canbe rendered active at will. In the operation of a loom of this kind it is frequently desirable in meeting the demands of a particular pattern to have two shuttles picked from the same end of the loom on successive beats of the lay. Furthermore, it is occasionally necessary for the boxes to move a distance greater than the distance between adjacent shuttle boxes, as for instance when the shuttle in box #I is to be followed immediately by the shuttle in box #3. The shifting of 35:. the boxes will ordinarily occur while the lay is in its forward position and is completed either at or some time immediately prior to picking of the shuttle.

It is a further important object of my present 40;; invention to provide a timing control for the detector so that it can operate only at such times as the shuttle which is to be next picked has been placed opposite the race of the lay. If the box shift is to require an idle shuttle to move past 45: the detecting position such movement will occur prior to the time that the control will permit the detector to indicate. In this way an idle exhausted shuttle will not be detected unless detection is desired.

It is a further object of my present invention cse the filament of the detector tube so can take full advantage of the beam of light directed toward it. In the present instance, the light is to be reflected from a surface carried 56s: by the bobbin and uncovered as weft depletion approaches and the filament is preferably made so that it is parallel to the beam of light which is reflected from the bobbin.

It is a further object of the present invention to move the detector tube with the lay so that the distance between said tube and the energized surface will remain substantially constant.

The change in loom operation efiected by the detector, as shown herein, is loom stoppage caused preferably with the depleted shuttle on the side of the loom opposite the detector and with the lay in rear position. I do not Wish tobe limited, however, to this particular kind of loom control.

With these and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, my invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein a convenient embodiment of my invention is set-forth,

Fig. 1 is a vertical section through a shifting shuttle box loom having my invention applied thereto,

Fig. 2 is a View similar to a portion of Fig. 1 but showing the shuttle boxes and detector element on an enlarged scale, the boxes being ina different position,

Fig. 3 is a plan view looking in the direction of arrow 3, Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is a vertical section on line 44 of Fig. 2,

Fig. 5 is a detail plan view in the direction of arrow 5,Fig. l, and

Fig. 6 is part of the electric wiring used in connection with my invention.

eferring to the drawings, the loom frame I0 has a top or crank shaft l i rotating once for each beat of the lay L and is connected by a gear l2 meshing with a second gear IS on the bottom shaft it. A picking arm l5 secured to thebottom shaft has picking balls l6 and II, respectively, which coact with a picking shoe I8 secured to the rocking picker shaft IS. The latter is pivotally supported on one of the loomsides and has upstanding therefrom an arm which is connectedin well-known manner to the picker stick 2i. The latter is pivoted to the rocker foot 22 and at its upper end actuates a picker 23.

A set of shifting shuttle boxes B is mounted on the upper end of a box lifter rod 24 and carries in the present instance four cells to cooperate with shuttles 25, 26, iii and 28. The race plate 253 of the lay is shown herein as aligned with the top shuttle 25. A picker spindle is secured to the lay and serves to guide the picker 23.

The connector 3 l between the lay and the crank shaft I l is the means by which the lay is reciprocated toward and from front position and it is to be understood that the box lifter rod is actuated to have its shifting movement with respect to the lay when the latter is in the forward half of its swing. This shifting movement may if desired be accomplished on a so-called Knowles head loom by means of a chain 32 connected to the bottom of the box lifterrod 24.

It is to be understood that the opposite end of the lay may be provided with a similar set of shifting boxes and that the two sets can move independently of each other by well-known mechanism not set forth herein.

As the invention is illustrated. in connection with a loom which stops upon exhaustion of weft I show a shipper handle 35 connected at its lower end to a rod the rear end 31 of which may be connected to shipping devices not shown herein but well understood. The relation of the parts is such that when the shipper handle is pulled forwardly the end 31 is moved rearwardly in order to start the loom, and when rod 36 is moved forwardly the loom stops.

A cam 33 on the top shaft coacts with cam lever 38 pivoted to fixed structure iii and having an operating finger il which moves back and forth during loom operation. The exact timing of the finger can be controlled by angular adjustment of the cam 38 with respect to the top shaft. A push link d2 is pivoted at its rear end to a knock-off lever 33 and the lower end of the latter is connected to a forwardly extending rod 44 attached to the rod 35 as at 435, see Fig. l. A solenoid or other electro-rnagnetic device Ed has a core 55 connected to the link 32 and the parts are so related that when the device 59 is deenergized the link 52 will be in the low position shown in Fig. l beneath the path of movement of the actuating finger ii. When the device 5b is energized, however, its core acts to raise the link into the path of part if and the latter upon its subsequent backward motion will rock knockoff lever 33 in a clockwise direction to move the rod i i forwardly and therefore rock the shipper handle rearwardly or to the right as viewed in Fig. 1 to stop the loom.

The devices thus far described are of known constructions and of themselves form no part of my present invention.

In carrying my present invention into effect I form each of the shuttles with a slot or port so and provide the corresponding binder Si with a substantially similar slot 62. The shuttles carry bobbins 63 each having a metallic ferrule 5 which may have a highly reflective chromium plated surface. The bobbin may be provided with a bunch of reserve weft R which permits the shuttle to have a limited number of picks subsequent to indication of weft exhaustion. As the boxes shift one after another of the shuttles will as sume the position shown by the top .shuttle in Fig. 2. It is to be understood that the shuttle in the position of the top shuttle of that figure is opposite the race and therefore ready to be picked.

The detecting mechanism is located in a housing it having a partition H which forms a detecting compartment i2 and a light source compartment it. In the latter I provide any convenient form of illuminant such as an incandescent lamp Hi. It is to be understood that any source of light adequate for the purpose and shining at the desired times may be substituted for lamp is. Housing it? is carried by a bracket M on the lay.

, In the other compartment '52 I provide the photo-electric tube 75 which may have a plate it and a wire ill. The plate and wire are preferably horizontal and are therefore parallel to the ferrule in picking position.

The wiring connections are not set forth in 5 detail herein since they may be substantially the same as shown in the aforesaid application, but I have indicated certain parts of the circuit in Fig. 6. Secured to the loom frame at the lower left hand part of Fig. l is the relay at which may 10 be fed by power wires 8! and 82, respectively, and these wires also feed the lamp is. Extending between the solenoid 553 and the relay ('28 are two wires 83 and 8:1 which are connected to a switch designated generally at 85 in Fig. 1. This switch 15 has upper. and lower prongs 36 and 8'l, respectively, which are normally so constructed as to spring apart to break the connection between wires 83 and 554%. These last named wires are in the relay circuit so that the relay is normally 20 open and the solenoid circuit cannot be enersized even though the photo-electric tube should send an impulse the ordinary effect of which would be to energize the relay.

Secured to the bottom shaft in timed relation 26 with respect to the picking arm 55 are insulated cam points 88 and 82, respectively, which are preferably located 189 apart and are so positioned with respect to the lower electrode ii? as to raise the latter against the upper electrode 86 30 when the parts are in position shown in Fig. 1. At other times the electrodes are unaffected by the cams and are out of contact.

In operation, the boxes will shift according to the requirements of the pattern as already de- 85 scribed and so long as sufficient weft is present in all of the shuttles their respective ferrules will be covered and no light can be directed toward the photo-electric tube. When one of the bobbins becomes shown in Fig. 3, light starting from the source 1 will be directed toward the ferrule 64 and reflected forwardly therefrom to the photo-electric, tube 75, energizing the latter. It is considered sufficient for the purpose of the present descrip- 5; tion to state that energization of the photo-electric tube will cause current to flow in winding of the relay. The full circuit of the relay is not shown, but is well known. The cams 88 and 89 are so related to the electrodes of the switch that 50-, the latter is closed preferably a short time before the loom picks, which means that the shuttle which is exhausted will be practically at rest with respect to the lay at this time. The condition depicted in Fig. 3 can therefore exist and 55;. current will flow through the switch to the relay.

Having particular reference to Fig. 6, the winding 96 of the relay, when energized, will attract. the armature El so that a circuit will be established as follows: wire 8!, wire 92, contact 93, 60 armature Si, wire 63, prongs 86 and 8?, wire 84, device 58 and wire back to the opposite side of the line or wire 82. Upon closure of this circuit the link '22 will be raised in the path of the finger 4i and as previously described will result 5 in loom stoppage. As soon as one or the other of the cam points 82 or 89 moves out of operative position with respect to switch the circuit of the solenoid will be broken and the parts will return to their normal position. 7

It should be noted that the shifting of the boxes which normally comes between boxing of the shuttle and picking while the lay is in the forward part of its stroke will have no effect on the relay or the solenoid, since these parts are held against substantially depleted, however, as 40,-

operation by the switch until the shifting boxes come practically to rest with respect to the lay.

If desired those parts of the lay and shuttle boxes which lie in the path of light which can be directed toward the photo-electric tube may be coated'with a dull black paint or the like. The lay end will ordinarily have a slot ID!) for the picker and the boxes will be slotted as at llJl so that any light which is directed through these slots I08 and Illl will not have opportunity to return to the photo-electric tube with a sufficient intensity to produce an exciting current. The spindle 30 will be farenough behind the axis of the shuttle so that any light which it may reflect can be kept well below the amount required to give an indication through the photo-electric tube. Since the intensity of the illumination varies inversely as the square of the distance traversed by the beam it will be understood that no part at a substantial distance behind the ferrule will be able to reflect a sufficient amount of light to give an indication.

Means not specifically shown herein but set forthin my aforesaid application can be used to regulate the circuit so that the amount of current set up by light reflected from the ferrules will be the minimum and any less current will be insufficient. The time during which the active shuttle is in position to reflect light toward the photoelectric tube will be small, but sumcient nevertheless to actuate the cell 15.

It is to be understood that the circuits used in connection with the photo-electric detector includes several branches any of which may be broken by a switch similar to that shown at 85 for the purpose of preventing the relaying of current to the solenoid at an improper time and I do not wish to be limited to the particular means set forth herein for accomplishing this general result.

I have found that different colored yarns have different powers of reflecting light toward the photo-electric tube. In drop box looms it is customary to have each shuttle carry weft distinctive from that of the other shuttles and this will ordinarily result in a variable amount of light being reflected toward the detector. By means of a photometer which itself uses a photo-electric tube and indicates by an electrically actuated hand passing over a dial I have found that red weft gives a reading of 60 units, white cotton has a reading of units, slack twist white rayon reads units, while the uncovered chromium ferrule gives a reading of units. It would appear therefore that a ferrule can be made which will reflect appreciably more light than the whitest yarns with which I experimented.

I the yarn employed.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided a very delicate weft detector to be used in connection with shifting shuttle boxes. It will further be seen that the detector parts are carried by the lay and the longitudinal axes of the sensitive elements within the photo-electric tube are substantially parallel to the ferrules on the bobbins. It will also be seen that I have provided means for interrupting a control circuit at all times except those when it is proper that such a circuit should be closed.

As suggested in Figs. 2 and 4, the filament l1 and plate 16 are parallel to the ferrule, hence the light reflected from the latter will in effect he in a plane and will fall on the whole length of the sensitive parts at once to give greatest effect;

Having thus described my invention it will be seen that changes and modifications may be made therein by those skilled'in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, but what I claim is:

1. In a loom, a photo-electric tube, means to initiate a change in loom operation when the illumination of the photo-electric tube is changed, shifting shuttle boxes, and means carried by each shuttle box and dependent upon w'eft exhaustion to effect a change in illumination of the detector;

2. In a loom, shifting shuttle boxes carrying shuttles and movable with respect to the lay' to place each box in picking position, a light re sponsive detector to be actuated to effect a change in loom operation upon a change of illumination, and means carried by each shuttle effective when weft exhaustion occurs in the shuttle to change the illumination of the detector. 1

3. In a loom, shifting shuttle boxes carrying shuttles and movable with respect to the lay to place each box in picking position, a light'responsive detector to effect a change'in'lo'om operation when the illumination thereof is altered, and means carried by each shuttle operative when weft exhaustion occurs in the shuttle to effect a change in illumination of the detector change the illumination thereof, and means to cause said change of illumination just prior to picking of an exhausted shuttle.

5. In a loom, a set of shifting shuttle boxes each containing a supply of weft, a weft detector effective when subjected to a change of illumination to bring about a change in the operation of the loom, and means carried by each of the shuttle boxes effective when the supply of weft therein is depleted to change the illumination of the detector.

6. In a loom, shifting shuttle boxes containing shuttles with weft supplies, a lay supporting the shifting boxes, means to pick a shuttle from one of the boxes when the lay has reached a predetermined point in its backward movement, a detector responsive to a change in illumination thereof to effect a change in loom operation, means carried by each shuttle box effective when weft exhaustion occurs therein to create a condition preparatory to changing the detector illumination, and means dependent upon existence of the condition to effect the change in detector illumination when the lay reaches the given point in its backward stroke.

7. In a loom, shifting shuttle boxes each having a shuttle supplied with weft, a lay, means to shift the boxes with respect to the lay, a detector responsive to a change in illumination thereof to initiate a change in loom operation, means carried by the shuttle of each shuttle box effective upon depletion of weft to prepare to change the 

